Applications of COSMIC to Meteorology and Climate

The GPS/MET (Global Positioning System/Meteorology, Ware et al. 1996) project demonstrated atmospheric limb sounding from low-earth-orbit (LEO) with high vertical resoulution, high accuracy, and global coverage in all weather. Based on the success and scientific results of GPS/MET, Taiwan¡¦s National Space Program Office (NSPO), the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Florida State University and other partners in the university community are developing COSMIC (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate), a follow-on project for weather and climate research, climate monitoring, space weather, and geodetic science. COSMIC plans to launch eight LEO satellites in 2004. Each COSMIC satellite will retrieve about 500 daily profiles of key ionospheric and atmospheric properties from the tracked GPS radio-signals as they are occulted behind the Earth limb. The constellation will provide frequent global snapshots of the atmosphere and ionosphere with about 4000 daily soundings.